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Repeal Day Friday — Al Smith IV to Party

December 3, 2008

As you may have noticed from liquor ads around town, more attention than usual is being directed toward Repeal Day — a celebration of Utah’s ratification of the Amendment overturning Prohibition on December 5, 1933. Everyone’s got an agenda for it: some push for an end to drug prohibition, some plump their own mixology practice, and the libertarian Cato Institute will celebrate the downfall of Big Government. Many of us just plan to drink, especially with Repeal Day conveniently falling on a Friday.

A more officious local party of which we are informed will be held Friday ay 11 a.m. (prime drinking time!) at Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse, a former speakeasy, and attended by Alfred E. Smith IV, the great-grandson of Al Smith, former New York Governor and a famous “wet,” whose Presidential campaign was celebrated by the bibulous Uncle Dave Macon (“then maybe I can buy a little rum, darlin'”). Members of the State Assembly, City Council and Mayor’s office are also promised.

So far observances of the Day are surprisingly short on freebies, though LeNell’s wine shop in Red Hook is holding a sale. Maybe the best thing would be to brown-bag it in Union Square and thus mount a challenge to the continuing prohibition on public drinking.